When your parent becomes elderly and needs extra care, you likely are wary of putting them in a nursing home right away. However, you eventually may need to make that difficult decision. Yet, you still are concerned. You don’t want your mom or dad to become a victim to nursing home abuse or neglect. How are you going to ensure that doesn’t happen when you can’t be there all the time or visit them as much as you’d like to?
You may wonder if it should just be standard practice that nursing homes allow you to install a camera so you can monitor your parent’s care. You know that childcare facilities often have cameras so parents can check in on their children. Why should it be any different for you to ensure your mom or dad receives quality nursing home care?
Cameras in nursing homes
First, at least 12 states already allow for installation of cameras in nursing patients’ rooms, including:
- Texas
- Oklahoma
- Louisiana
- Missouri
However, in fall of 2020, the Georgia State Assembly blocked a bill that would allow family members to install electronic monitoring equipment in their loved one’s nursing home room.
Concerns about installing “granny cams”
Some of the concerns about installing “granny cams” in nursing home include that they could:
- Violate patient privacy
- Violate HIPPA rules
- Erode trust between health care providers and patients
- Make health care providers feel very cautious, thus dissuading them from forming true friendship bonds with patients
Ensuring your parent is safe
Installing a granny cam may give you extra piece of mind, but it can’t replace you being directly involved in your parent’s care. You need to ask for references from health care providers, friends, families and social workers to find a quality nursing home facility for your parent.
Once your parent is in a care facility, you should be regularly in contact with them, ensuring that they feel comfortable enough to tell you if they aren’t receiving quality care. You also want to visit your loved one regularly, to watch for any signs of bruises, bedsores that won’t heal or changes in their demeanor.
If you discover that your parent has become a victim of nursing home abuse or negligent care, you should consult an attorney. You want to ensure that the nursing home is held accountable and implements changes to improve their patient care.